Directory

1059 CE

Pope Nicholas II succeeds Stephen IX as the 155th pope of the Catholic Church. He is installed in Rome in opposition to Antipope Benedict X – the brother of the late Pope Benedict IX (deposed in 1048). Nicholas II, with the agreement of the Lateran Council, issues the papal bull In nomine Domini, making the College of Cardinals the sole voters in the papal conclave for the election of popes. Robert Guiscard, count of Apulia and Calabria, signs the Treaty of Melfi with Pope Nicholas II. Nicholas recognises the Norman conquest of southern Italy, and accepts the titles of Guiscard as duke of Sicily.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • August 23 – Robert Guiscard, count of Apulia and Calabria, signs the Treaty of Melfi with Pope Nicholas II. Nicholas recognises the Norman conquest of southern Italy, and accepts the titles of Guiscard as duke of Sicily.source

Conflict & Security

  • Fall – The Magyars cross the Danube River, together with several Pecheneg tribes, but are halted by Byzantine forces (approximate date).source
  • Alp Arslan succeeds his father Chaghri Beg as governor of Khorasan. He crosses with a Seljuk expeditionary force the upper Halys River and plunders the Theme of Sebasteia (modern Turkey).source

Religion & Belief

  • January 24 – Pope Nicholas II succeeds Stephen IX as the 155th pope of the Catholic Church. He is installed in Rome in opposition to Antipope Benedict X – the brother of the late Pope Benedict IX (deposed in 1048).source
  • April 13 – Nicholas II, with the agreement of the Lateran Council, issues the papal bull In nomine Domini, making the College of Cardinals the sole voters in the papal conclave for the election of popes.source
  • November 22 – Emperor Isaac I Komnenos falls ill on a hunt and retires to a monastery after a 2-year reign. He abdicates the Byzantine throne and appoints Constantine X, a Paphlagonian nobleman, as his successor.source

Culture & Society

  • Peter Krešimir IV is crowned king of Croatia and Dalmatia. His coronation is recognised by the Byzantine Empire who confirm him as the supreme ruler of the Dalmatian cities, i.e. over the Theme of Dalmatia – excluding the theme of Ragusa and the Duchy of Durazzo.source

Births

  • Raynald I, French nobleman and abbot (d. 1090)source
  • Robert of Burgundy, bishop of Langres (d. 1111)source
  • Fujiwara no Akinaka, Japanese nobleman (d. 1129)source
  • At-Turtushi, Andalusian political philosopher (d. 1126)source
  • Fulcher of Chartres, French priest and chronicler (approximate date)source
  • Henry I, count of Limburg and Arlon (approximate date)source
  • Ngok Loden Sherab, Tibetan Buddhist monk (d. 1109)source

Deaths

  • January 21 – Michael I Cerularius, Byzantine patriarchsource
  • April 4 – Farrukh-Zad, Ghaznavid sultan (b. 1025)source
  • June 29 – Bernard II, German noblemansource
  • July 7 – Abdallah ibn Yasin, Almoravid rulersource
  • August 14 – Giselbert, count of Luxembourgsource
  • Cathal mac Tigernán, Irish king of Iar Connachtsource
  • Peter Orseolo ("the Venetian"), king of Hungary (possible date)source
  • Vyacheslav Yaroslavich, prince of Smolensksource
  • Michael VI Bringas, Byzantine emperorsource
  • Eilika of Schweinfurt, German noblewoman (after December 10)source